NFL Notes: Bills, Lions, Rams, Texans

Bills

New Bills HC Sean McDermott tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com that he believes their starting quarterback of the future is currently on their roster.

“He is, in Tyrod Taylor. And then when you look at the competition we have behind him,” McDermott said. “We’ve drafted Nathan Peterman, we’ve added T.J. Yates, and then Cardale Jones in the draft a year ago. I’m not sure there is a team out there that has the depth that we do at the quarterback position. So we feel good about that. We’re anxious to see how Tyrod develops in his third year as a starter in a new system, a system that he has some familiarity with in terms of [new Buffalo offensive coordinator] Rick Dennison’s system in Baltimore a few years back with Gary Kubiak.”

Although, new Bills GM Brandon Beane stressed that there will be an open competition at quarterback.

“We have open competition everywhere,” Beane said. “Obviously it is a quarterback league, but with Tyrod, . . . He has some tools, his speed, he is tough to game-plan for. He has some strengths and he is still a young starter in this league. It is going to be a competition for every position, to let them fight it out and earn the right to start on this team.”

Lions

• According to Dave Birkett, free agent RB Matt Asiata had a good tryout last weekend for the Lions, but they aren’t signing him to a contract right now.
• Instead, the Lions plan to move forward with their current options at running back.

Rams

Rams new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips mentioned that they plan to utilize Mark Barron as a linebacker moving forward, as opposed to the hybrid safety/linebacker role he played in the past.

“He’s a linebacker,” Phillips said, via ESPN.com. “He’s really instinctive; he’s got great speed, and we can utilize his coverage ability at linebacker. It gives you more options as far as things you want to do defensively. If you get a guy like that who can cover people, then we’re going to utilize that.”

Texans

Texans HC Bill O’Brien mentioned that third-round RB D’Onta Foreman was one of the rookies who needs to get in optimal football shape.

“As far as like conditioning, we just all have to go out there and just keep working hard, just keep doing what they ask us to do,” Foreman said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “Like coach O’Brien said, we were doing a lot of combine stuff, so just getting in the shape of football and getting back into the routine of football, all of that will come.”

During the team’s rookie minicamp, Foreman worked on the side Saturday and road a stationary exercise bike.